August 9, 2005

Texas man arrested for airline bomb scare

by ssavage

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Federal agents arrested a San Antonio,
Texas, man on Tuesday for leaving a written bomb threat on
board a Southwest Airlines flight last week, according to a
statement from U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg.

Southwest Airlines Flight 21 landed at a Houston airport on
Friday after the note was found. The 136 passengers and five
crew were held for questioning while the Boeing 737 was
searched for weapons or explosives. None were found.

The note is believed to have been a hoax by Elias Jeremiah
Cervantez, 20, of San Antonio, as the plane flew from Odessa,
Texas, to Dallas, the statement said.

The note was found on the following leg of the flight from
Dallas to Houston.

Cervantez faces a charge of making a hoax bomb threat
against an aircraft. If convicted, he could be imprisoned for
up to five years and pay a $250,000 fine, according to the
statement.